Aviators Trounce Tipp for League Title

VANDALIA — It didn’t take long.

By the second inning, Butler had the lead. By the third, they had control.And by the seventh — with the lights on, the crowd standing, and everything that mattered right in front of them — they had what they came for.

A sweep. A rivalry win. And another Miami Valley League title — their second straight.

In front of a record crowd Friday night, Butler beat Tippecanoe 10–4 to close out a two-game series that was less about hype and more about how the Aviators continue to handle business.

They scored early, played clean, and never let the moment stretch beyond their reach.

The win pushed Butler to 20–0 overall and 15–0 in league play, keeping their perfect season intact while confirming — again — that this is a team built for the long haul.

They never trailed.

Paxton Dwenger opened the scoring with a first-inning groundout. In the second, Brody Miller and Koby Dues added runs with RBI fielder’s choices. Butler padded the lead in the third, thanks to a Tate Richardson single and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Hunter Richardson.

But perhaps the most welcome sight came on the mound.

Mason Reckner (2-0) made his first appearance since opening week in Myrtle Beach — and didn’t waste it. The senior right-hander tossed three innings, allowed just two runs, and picked up the win with a composed, confident outing that settled the tone early. He walked one, struck out two, and left to a loud ovation from the home crowd.

Will Kitchen handled the middle, and Dues took the rest.

The sophomore righty came out and ran the Red Devils right through the meatgrinder — retiring all 10 batters he faced over 3.1 scoreless innings and striking out eight. His final pitch hit the glove with finality, and the Butler dugout erupted.

Hunter and Tate Richardson each finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. Dues and Declan Scheffler drove in two apiece. Dwenger and Max Rubins had multi-hit nights. Rubins reached base in all four trips.

Schilling commanded the game from behind the plate, handling three different arms and a rivalry game tempo like it was any other night.

Tippecanoe clawed within 5–4 in the top of the fourth, but Butler punched back with two more in the bottom half, then two more in the sixth to put it away.

They didn’t need a big swing. They didn’t need late heroics. They just played the kind of baseball that wins — inning by inning, pitch by pitch, night by night.

Next up: a Saturday trip to Lancaster, where the Aviators will meet Division I No. 3 Olentangy Orange under the lights at Beavers Field.